(Think not of those, who are slain in the way of Allah, as dead…) [3:169].
Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya> Abu Sa'id Isma'il ibn Ahmad al-Khilali> 'Abd Allah ibn Zaydan ibn Yazid al-Bajli> Abu Kurayb> 'Abd Allah ibn Idris> Muhammad ibn Ishaq> Isma'il ibn Abi Umayyah> Abu'l-Zubayr> Sa'id ibn Jubayr> Ibn 'Abbas who reported that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: “When your brothers were killed at Uhud, Allah placed their spirits inside green birds which go to the rivers of Paradise and eat of its fruits and reach to lamps hanging in the shade of the Throne. When they tasted the wholesomeness of their food, drink and abode, they said: 'Who would inform our brothers, on our behalf, that we are being provided in Paradise, so that they do not shy away from Jihad or shirk away from war?' Allah, glorious and majestic is He, said: 'I will inform them on your behalf', and so He revealed (Think not of those, who are slain in the way of Allah, as dead. Nay, they are living. With their Lord they have provision)”. This was related by al-Hakim in his Sahih from 'Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah.
Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Ghazi informed us> Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Hamdan> Hamid ibn Muhammad ibn Shu'ayb al-Balkhi> 'Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah> 'Abd Allah ibn Idris and he related the narration. This was narrated by al-Hakim> 'Ali ibn 'Isa al-Hiri> Musaddid> 'Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah.
Abu Bakr al-Harithi informed us> Abu'l-Shaykh al-Hafiz> Ahmad ibn al-Husayn al-Hadhdha'> 'Ali ibn al-Madini> Musa ibn Ibrahim ibn Bashir ibn al-Fakih al-Ansari> Talhah ibn Khirash> Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah who said: “The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, once looked at me and said: 'I see that you are worried, what is wrong?' I said: 'My father was killed and left behind dependents and debts'. He said: 'Shall I inform you: Allah has never spoken to anyone except from behind a veil but has spoken to your father face to face, without a veil or messenger in between, and He said to him: 'My slave, ask and you shall be given'. He said: 'I ask you to take me back to the life of the world so that I get killed again for Your sake'. Allah said to him: 'It has already been decreed that they shall not go back to it'. He said: 'Then inform those whom I have left behind'. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Think not of those, who are slain in the way of Allah, as dead)”.
Abu 'Amr al-Qantari informed me among what he narrated to me in writing> Muhammad ibn al-Husayn> Muhammad ibn Yahya> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim> Waki'> Sufyan> Salim al-Aftas> Sa'id ibn Jubayr who said regarding the verse (Think not of those, who are slain in the way of Allah, as dead. Nay, they are living): “When Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib and Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr were killed at the Battle of Uhud and saw the good with which they were provided, they said: 'If only our brothers knew what we were given of good so that that their desire for Jihad increases'. And so Allah, exalted is He, said: 'I will inform them on your behalf', and He revealed (Think not of those, who are slain in the way of Allah, as dead. Nay, they are living) up to His saying (… and that Allah wasteth not the wage of the believers) [3:171]”.
Said Abu'l-Duha: “This verse was revealed specifically about those who were killed at the Battle of Uhud”.
And a group of Qur'anic commentators mentioned that this verse was revealed about the martyrs of the Battle of Bi'r Ma'unah whose story is well known; it was mentioned by Ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar in his book al-Maghazi. Others have mentioned that whenever the families of the martyrs tasted a blessing or sensed happiness, they felt some sorrow, saying: 'We are enjoying blessings and happiness while our fathers, sons and brothers are in the graves', and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse to ease their sorrow and to inform about the state of their killed ones.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou